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Bruce Boudreau

Bruce Boudreau Will Return As Canucks Head Coach

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The Vancouver Canucks have made it official, announcing that Bruce Boudreau will return as head coach for the 2022-23 season. While that doesn’t come with a long-term commitment, it will at least put some of the chatter to rest about who will be behind the bench. In a statement, general manager Patrick Allvin explained the decision:

We are pleased to see Bruce’s commitment to return to the Canucks next season. He has done a great job since arriving in Vancouver and we are eager to see the team continue to perform under his leadership as they did during the second half of the season.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Boudreau is back, especially given the reports that he was in the meeting with prized Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko recently. The question was is about whether the Canucks will be willing to commit past the 2022-23 season, something that is still very unclear. In his end-of-year availability, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford explained that he needed to see more than half a season before handing out an extension like that, something that at least made some wonder if Boudreau would take his talents elsewhere.

For now, he will stay put and build off that half-season, which was exceptional even if the Canucks didn’t end up qualifying for the playoffs.

After starting 8-15-2 under Travis Green, the organization decided to clean house, firing almost the entire management group and coaching staff. Boudreau took over behind the bench, while Allvin and Rutherford moved into the front office to start cleaning up the mess left behind by Jim Benning. The team had only made the playoffs once in the last six years and yet had some of the most exciting young talent in the league. Under Boudreau, they went 32-15-10 down the stretch, coming oh-so-close to climbing all the way back into the playoff picture.

That trio of Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, and Elias Pettersson will obviously be the building blocks for the Canucks moving forward, though there are plenty of other decisions to be made about who will surround them. Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, and J.T. Miller have all heard their names bandied about in trade speculation, and now with the Boudreau situation finalized, the front office can get to work on either extending them, or making a move to maximize their return.

A regular season turnaround wasn’t anything new for Boudreau, who has never had a losing season as an NHL head coach. In fact, his .635 winning percentage is right up with the best of all time. It’s the playoffs that have been a different story so far, likely one of the reasons why Rutherford was so hesitant to jump in after 57 games. Boudreau has a 43-47 record in the postseason and hasn’t moved past the first round since 2015.

Snapshots: Kuemper, Marchment, Boudreau

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It appears as though the Colorado Avalanche will have goaltender Darcy Kuemper back between the pipes when they host either the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild to start the second round next week (link). Kuemper was back at practice today, and while it’s unclear if he would have been able to play had Colorado’s series against the Nashville Predators continued, he will have a few more days to get ready and continue to recover. St. Louis hosts Minnesota tonight in Game 6 of the first round, the Blues holding a 3-2 series lead.

Kuemper was injured late in the first period of Game 3 of round one when Predators forward Ryan Johansen appeared to get his stick blade caught inside of Kuemper’s mask. The goaltender would leave the game, replaced by Pavel Francouz, who started in net for the Avalanche in their series-clinching win in Game 4. An impending UFA, the Avalanche acquired Kuemper this past offseason in a win-now move to give them a star goaltender for this season, perhaps their best chance at a Stanley Cup. Kuemper compiled another strong season in 2021-22, his first with Colorado, posting a .921 save-percentage and 2.54 goals-against average.

  • The Florida Panthers announced, per head coach Andrew Brunette, that forward Mason Marchment will not be available when Florida takes on the Washington Capitals in Game 6 tomorrow night (link). The forward had been dealing with a previous injury and was considered a game-time decision for Game 5, a game that he ultimately did not play in. Seeing Marchment move from a game-time decision for Game 5 to being ruled out a day ahead of Game 6 is surely a concern for Florida, as the 26-year-old has provided excellent secondary scoring with a physical game to go along with it, putting up 18 goals and 29 assists in 54 games this season.
  • From Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey Now, who spoke with Bruce Boudreau, the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, Boudreau said he hopes to return to the organization next week. Currently, Boudreau is still under contract with Vancouver with whom he has an option to return, and said he plans on confirming his option with Canucks’ President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford and General Manager Patrik Allvin sometime early next week. Boudreau has until June 1st to accept the option. The veteran head coach had also made clear to Simpson that he has spent the last couple of weeks simply taking time off, visiting with friends and family and making other arrangements, and the delay was not tactical in nature. There had been recent rumors about a possible extension with Boudreau, however Rutherford made it clear he would not be interested in extending Boudreau just yet, but was open to the idea of it at some point. What exactly Boudreau thought of that situation was unclear, but it appears now that his primary focus is on returning to the Canucks for the 2022-23 season.

Latest On Canucks’ Offseason Plans

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The Vancouver Canucks have lots of questions to answer this offseason. The most pressing one is whether they can get a deal done with head coach Bruce Boudreau, who has a negotiating window until June 1 but no contract extension in place just yet. The two sides have said all the right things when it comes to working together and will have to iron out a deal if the veteran coach is to stay put. It certainly seems like he’s going to be sticking around though, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported yesterday on CHEK TV that Boudreau was present (virtually) in the meeting with Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko.

Beyond the coaching situation though, more decisions are coming on players like Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, and J.T. Miller. Currently, none of the three are signed past the 2022-23 season, with Boeser not even signed for next season yet. If the new management group wanted to shake up the core, those three are certainly avenues to consider.

Still, there is another name that earns big money in Vancouver and could potentially be part of a retooling effort. Friedman went on to tell Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that the team is trying to find a trade market for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, just a year after acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes.

Now 30, Ekman-Larsson is signed to a massive eight-year, $66MM contract that won’t expire until the summer of 2027. As part of it, he also owns a full no-movement clause that gives him total control of his situation. When the Coyotes made it clear that they wanted to move him, Ekman-Larsson gave just two teams that he would be willing to go to–the Canucks and the Boston Bruins. If Vancouver has now soured, it seems he would have to provide someone else if a trade is to occur. The Bruins, of course, found their own Swedish defenseman at the deadline, acquiring and extending Hampus Lindholm to a long-term deal.

It’s not that Ekman-Larsson had a terrible year, as he put up 29 points in 79 games while averaging more than 22 minutes a night. But the contract that was so happily acquired by the previous management group is a difficult one to deal with, even despite the Coyotes retaining a small portion. Vancouver already has nearly $70MM in cap hits committed to next season with just 13 players, making it tough to really add to the group if they wanted to.

Again, the veteran defenseman has full control in this situation. A buyout would be untenable at this point and even if the Canucks wanted to retain additional salary to facilitate trade, Ekman-Larsson would have to first accept the destination.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Canucks Notes: Boudreau, Miller, Young Stars Classic

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With the Vancouver Canucks looking like a transformed team after swapping head coaches this season, it seemed unfathomable that the team wouldn’t be eager to extend Bruce Boudreau to a new contract. Yet, team general manager Jim Rutherford said today that the team isn’t willing to bring back Boudreau for longer than next season at this time. After a horrific start, the Canucks missed the playoffs by just five points and even recovered to post a positive goal differential on the season. However, it appears Rutherford wants to ensure this wasn’t a “flash in the pan” effect from Boudreau, as he did mention there were still areas of concern he had when watching the team this year. He’d like to see a full season under Boudreau before committing to him long-term with this core.

More out of the Canucks organization today:

Bruce Boudreau Hoping To Return As Canucks Head Coach

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Though it had been trending this way for quite a while, Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau made it very clear what his intentions are for next season. Boudreau has an option in his contract for next season, though it hadn’t been expressly stated that he even wanted to come back. Any debate was put to rest today, as he spoke with reporters during his end-of-year availability:

Listen I told Patrik (Allvin) and Jim (Rutherford) that I wanted to coach here next year. We’re just talking right now. Hopefully things get done, but I think they want me back, and I know I want to be back, so I think it should work out. 

While Boudreau failed in his bid to bring the Canucks all the way back to the playoffs, the work that he did do was incredibly impressive. The club was 8-15-2 when he took over in early December, last in the Pacific Division and so far from the playoffs that no one really expected them to even be competitive down the stretch. Then came the 2008 Jack Adams award winner, who found a formula that worked and led the Canucks to a 32-15-10 record. That .649 points percentage would have put the Canucks squarely between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers league-wide, had it been the pace for the entire season.

That kind of record isn’t anything new for Boudreau either. The veteran coach has routinely led his teams to outstanding regular season success, and he sits right near the top of the all-time list in terms of winning percentage. It is of course the postseason where he has still struggled, with his clubs rarely even progressing past the first round. In 2015, the Boudreau-led Anaheim Ducks came within one game of the Stanley Cup Final, but he hasn’t even sniffed the second round since.

Still, the change in leadership–both behind the bench and in the front office–has breathed new life and optimism into the Canucks organization. Boudreau is a big part of that, and many will see a core that still has the likes of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko as a potential playoff candidate once again in the 2023-24 season.

Snapshots: Kuzmenko, Boudreau, Price

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While the IIHF recently announced an additional sanction on hockey in Russia, and the NHL has cut ties with the KHL, Russian players are still permitted to sign as free agents with NHL clubs. With the KHL season set to end shortly, KHL free agents seeking to cross the Atlantic and sign with an NHL team have come under the microscope. Perhaps the most attention has been paid to Andrei Kuzmenko, who is set to become a free agent on May 1st. Kuzmenko, 26, had 53 points in 45 games in this KHL campaign, along with 14 points in 16 playoff games. Kuzmenko’s offensive profile is tantalizing to many NHL teams, and since he is still just 26 years old it is not unreasonable to think there is room for him to grow.

Like many of the KHL free agents who came before him, Kuzmenko is expected to have a competitive market when he and his representatives choose to begin negotiations. On TSN’s Insider Trading program, TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported that next week Kuzmenko will begin the interview process with NHL teams. Johnston reports that it is believed that 20 NHL teams will reach out to Kuzmenko with at least “some degree of interest.” In terms of what factors may play into Kuzmenko’s decision-making process, Johnston says that Kuzmenko “wants to go somewhere where he can play, where he’s going to have a role,” and that the market and city a team plays in is a less important factor. That should certainly make the competition to secure Kuzmenko’s services a bit more wide-open, and given that he only costs a signing team cap space and no assets to acquire, there will likely be many fanbases across the NHL hoping their team can be the one to land this intriguing KHL veteran.

Now, some more snapshots from across the NHL:

  • While Bruce Boudreau’s contract situation has been a major storyline in recent months, it seems the fears of a potential offseason departure for the 67-year-old Canucks skipper can be all but dismissed. In an interview with CHEK’s Don Taylor and Rick Dhaliwal, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave an update on Boudreau’s status. In his interview, Friedman states that Boudreau will return as Vancouver’s coach “if everybody is reasonable.” Friedman believes that as long as neither party is “being ridiculous,” as he terms it, then there should be no real issue securing an agreement on Boudreau’s return. Both the Canucks’ players and fanbase have responded extremely well to Boudreau’s coaching, and since he arrived in Vancouver the Canucks have been among the tougher teams to beat in the NHL. So while there may have once been fears of an offseason divorce for Boudreau and the Canucks, it now seems that there is very little chance of those fears becoming reality.
  • Carey Price has made his return to the Montreal Canadiens, but that doesn’t mean his future is made any more certain. In another note from TSN’s Insider Trading program, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun gave an update on Price’s status. LeBrun reports that Price “wants to play next season” as a number-one priority for him, but in order to do so, he needs to have full health in the injured knee that cost him so many games this season. According to LeBrun, not a certainty that Price’s knee can get there. Lebrun doesn’t cast any majorly pessimistic forecasts on Price’s health, but he does state that there is “a bit of uncertainty” to Price’s health situation that may complicate not only his future but also the future of the Canadiens.

Latest On Bruce Boudreau

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While a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild last night all but ended the Canucks’ fading playoff hopes, their fans can enter this offseason with a good degree of optimism about the future of their team. A major reason for why that optimism is possible is coach Bruce Boudreau, who was hired earlier this year as a replacement for fired coach Travis Green. Boudreau has revived the Canucks, and under his watch, the team has gone 30-14-9, one of the best runs in the NHL. But despite that reasonable optimism thanks to Boudreau’s work, his future in Vancouver has been a bit cloudy. GM Patrik Allvin was non-committal when asked about Boudreau’s future, and talk of his contract situation has made headlines across the NHL in recent months. Boudreau is believed to have the option for a second year on the contract he signed with Vancouver, but the exact conditions of that second year are a bit murky, as it is believed that each party (both the Canucks and Boudreau) have an “out” if that is the route they choose. So while few could have imagined a better run of success for Boudreau, there is still uncertainty surrounding his future as the coach of the Canucks.

But that uncertainty may slowly be giving way to growing confidence in Boudreau returning for another season. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance has reported (subscription required) that Boudreau met with his representation this week, and that there is a “growing sense” in Vancouver that the Canucks will attempt to retain Boudreau “in some fashion.” But Drance clarifies that finances could get in the way of a smooth return. Boudreau is reportedly set to make $2.5MM next season if he coaches on the Canucks, a number that Drance believes represents a “low-end valuation” of what he would be paid as a free agent. So, in theory, given that Boudreau has an “out” in his contract and the large number of head coaching vacancies expected for this offseason, it seems that it may not be totally out of the realm of possibility that Boudreau opts to take a contract with a larger commitment from another club.

For the Canucks, it seems as though retaining Boudreau should be more of a straightforward decision than it has been. Boudreau’s work revived the team as they were deeply struggling during the final days of the Jim Benning/Travis Green era. Crucial star players, players who look set as the pillars of the Canucks’ franchise going into the future, have seen their play improve under Boudreau’s watch. Overall they have been one of the tougher teams to defeat in the entire league since he has taken over, and it’s not easy to come up with reasons why an organization in search of its first long-term coach since Alain Vigneault would choose to go in a different direction when they already have Boudreau behind their bench. But if there’s one thing that seems likely under the Canucks’ new regime, it’s bold changes. With names like Brock Boeser who were once seemingly untouchable floating in trade rumors, it would not be an incredible surprise if Boudreau were coaching elsewhere by the time players report for training camp this fall.

Canucks Notes: Boudreau, Horvat, Karlsson

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Bruce Boudreau’s future in Vancouver has been a frequent talking point in recent weeks with the Canucks holding a team option on his contract for next season and a different management group in place since the bench boss was hired.  However, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in the latest Insider Trading segment that there’s a strong chance the 67-year-old will be retained.  He certainly has earned another opportunity with the team posting a 29-13-8 record since he took over to at least have an outside shot at making the playoffs.  However, a final decision won’t come until after the season the team does a full organizational review so it will be a few more weeks at least before anything is made official on that front.

More from Vancouver:

  • While center Bo Horvat left Thursday’s victory against Arizona after taking a shot off his leg, Boudreau told reporters including Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston that the decision to keep him out of the game was precautionary with Vancouver holding a lead at the time. However, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre adds (Twitter link) that the captain isn’t expected to play in their next game on Monday and is listed as out day-to-day.
  • Canucks prospect forward Linus Karlsson will be joining the Swedish National Team in preparation for the upcoming World Championships, notes Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 2018 third-rounder impressed in his first SHL season, tallying 26 goals and 20 assists in 52 games.  He has to sign his entry-level deal by June 1st or Vancouver will lose his rights.  Worth noting is that Karlsson is already under contract with Skelleftea for next season but that wouldn’t prevent him from signing an NHL contract.

Snapshots: Boudreau, Amirov, Rask

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After an impressive run with the Vancouver Canucks since taking over as Head Coach on December 5th, Bruce Boudreau’s future with the Vancouver Canucks is still uncertain. As discussed earlier in the week, Canucks’ GM Patrik Allvin would not commit to keeping Boudreau behind the bench after this season, looking to further evaluate. On the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada yesterday evening, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shined some light on what he believes the contract situation looks like and what could happen with Boudreau this summer.

Friedman believes Boudreau’s contract contains multiple options, one for the club and one for him. If Vancouver chose not to exercise Boudreau’s option, Friedman believes the Canucks would have to buyout Boudreau in some form. In addition, Boudreau may have an option not to stay, even if Vancouver chooses to keep him, but in that scenario, he would not be compensated. Debating whether or not to keep Boudreau may seem surprising, after the veteran coach has lead the team to a 24-13-7 record since taking over, however it is worth considering that Boudreau was not Allvin’s pick for head coach, as he was hired nearly two months after Boudreau. If the organization wishes to have Allvin’s vision be the future of the franchise, they may have to trust his preference for a head coach.

  • Also from 32 Thoughts, Friedman discussed Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Rodion Amirov, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Friedman confirms that Amirov finished six weeks of chemotherapy and has four more weeks until his next round. In the meantime, Amirov has been in the gym five days per week and on the ice three times per week in a space rented by the Maple Leafs in Germany. Although Amirov is not out of the woods yet, seeing the young forward continuing to stay in shape and work on his development even in the toughest of times is certainly encouraging in many ways.
  • After a comeback attempt fell short, legendary Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask announced his retirement from playing back on February 9th. It appears though that Rask’s days with the Bruins are far from over, as he has accepted a role within the organization and is considering a possible venture into coaching in the long-term, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa. For now, Rask’s role will primarily consist of networking with sponsors, spending time with them at and away from the rink.

Coaching Notes: Boudreau, Woodcroft, St. Louis

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Despite the resurgence of the team since his hiring, it does not look as though Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau is a lock to return for a second season. In a media appearance on Sportsnet 650 radio after the trade deadline, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin was asked about Boudreau’s future, and he gave a relatively non-committal answer, mentioning how the team will “look at” Boudreau’s contract situation after the season. It is believed that Boudreau is on a one-year contract with a team option for next season, meaning Vancouver does have the option to move on if they so choose. Given the recovery of the team’s form since Boudreau replaced Travis Green, it should raise some eyebrows that the Canucks’ brass has not been more definitive in their backing of their head coach.

The Canucks are 24-13-7 under Boudreau, a vast improvement from the team’s 8-15-2 record this season under Green. While the team is unlikely to make the playoffs at this point, Boudreau has breathed new life into their season and allowed the team to recover optimism about its long-term future. The performances of many key players such as Elias Pettersson have improved under Boudreau, and it looks as though with their current form the Canucks could indeed compete for a playoff spot next season. But based on Allvin’s comments and the overall sentiment (outside the fanbase) towards Boudreau’s future in Vancouver, it seems there is a chance that it could be another coach who is guiding the Canucks next season.

  • Speaking about a conversation he had with Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds an update to the situation of Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft. Woodcroft has compiled a 15-7-2 record with the team so far and has them comfortably placed as the third seed in the Pacific Division’s playoff race. The Oilers’ season was spiraling out of control in the late days of former coach Dave Tippett’s tenure, but Woodcroft has seemingly righted the ship. Woodcroft, 45, has a 116-79-24 record as an AHL coach and oversaw the development of players like Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard, and Ryan McLeod who now find themselves in the NHL. According to Holland, (through Friedman) the Oilers will evaluate Woodcroft’s situation after the season, which may sound similar to Allvin’s comments on Boudreau. But Holland went further, indicating that with the way things are going for Woodcroft, at this moment his future as the Oilers’ coach “looks really good.”
  • One other interim coach who has overseen a resurgence in his team’s form is Montreal’s interim head coach Martin St. Louis. The Hall of Fame player has a 10-9-4 record, which is not an incredible run on its own but a massive improvement over the state of the team under former head coach Dominique Ducharme. St. Louis has deep connections with the two heads of the new Canadiens’ front office, Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, and according to Friedman “unless he doesn’t want to do it, [St. Louis] is coming back.” The Canadiens’ future looks set to revolve around the duo of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and those two have been playing significantly better under St. Louis than they were under Ducharme. Specifically, the biggest improvement has come from Caufield, who was just named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month“. Given the turnaround of the team overall under St. Louis and his recovery of Caufield’s highly anticipated rookie season, it makes sense that St. Louis would continue as Canadiens head coach beyond this season.

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